We went to the beach. We had fun. We took the zipcar. When we got to the beach, I locked the car, using the handy-dandy zipcard. You need to scan the card on a card reader on the car in order to lock and unlock the car. The car key - the normal kind which goes inside the ignition - is always IN the car. It's not how you lock the doors. I was nervous this weekend at my parents' house, b/c I washed my zipcard. I left it in my shorts pocket, and then threw my shorts into the washer at the end of the day, and the card got washed. I'm certain this was at least the second time, but I was still relieved when the card worked afterward.

So, the beach we went to was a little weird. We'd never been to this one before. It has a shelf which extends pretty far out. When we arrived, it was low tide, and the water was soooo far out from the high tide line, it was strange. We set up our chairs and blankets relatively far down the beach, but still were far from the water. Too far to let the girls run off on their own. So I went with them. I had my shorts on, and didn't see the point in taking them off, because even people who were 1/4 mile out were only submerged to their knees. So we went frolicking.

Eventually, the water got deep enough that it was threatening to wet my shorts. I hopped up on a sandbar and took the shorts off, and just laid them across my shoulder, trying to be careful not to lose my Burt's Bees lip balm out of the pocket. We spent a good bit of time in the water, and then went back to Beloved (who was guarding our stuff on the beach), and he and I switched positions - I sat guarding and reading, and he went into the water with the kids.

While we were sitting there, I thought, "where did I put the zipcard?" I checked my purse. No. I checked the food bag. No. I checked the beach bag. No. I checked my shorts pocket. No. I thought, "well, when we were leaving the car, and J had to pee, I probably just handed it to Beloved." I looked in his wallet. No. I checked the pockets of his bag. No. Shit.

I tried to forget about it, and just read my book until Beloved and the girls returned, but I was too preoccupied. I went and met them (1/2 a mile toward the ocean, it felt like), and asked him, "do you have the Zipcard?" No.

I called Zipcar, and said, "Um, hi. I'm in the middle of a reservation, and we used the car to go to the beach, and I lost my card in the ocean." Because I must have put it in my butt pocket, as per usual, and not noticed when it fell out as I flung my shorts over my shoulder.

FORTUNATELY, Zipcar was able to remotely open the car, and then switch the reservation over to Beloved's card (which was in his wallet).

And also FORTUNATELY, Beloved didn't berate me once. He wasn't agitated or frustrated in the slightest. He just sort of sat there chatting with the girls while I called Zipcar, and then 1/2 chuckled out me as he was getting into the car. That's it. Even though this is a habit of mine that he hates with a passion.

And our afternoon continued to be fantastic. We always have great car rides. I love driving with him, and with the girls. J dozed after the frolicking, and E was listening to a book on tape. Beloved and I listened to The Black Crowes and talked about whether or not we could get a beach house over in this part of the state. Just a bare hour away from the city, but remote and beautiful. Seems like a good place for a second home. Too bad it costs so damned much. I think we'll keep looking at Vermont at first.